Apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles



Dec. 20, 1949 F. D. JOHNSTON 2,492,046

APPARATUS CLEANING FILAMENTARY ARTICLES Filed Dec. 24. 1947 2Shets-Sheet 1 //v|//v TOR ED. JOHNS TON UN Ia/m ATTORNEY Dec. 20, 1949F. D. JOHNSTON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FILAMENTARY ARTICLES F'iled Dec.24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 20, 1949 APPARATUS FORCLEANING FILAMENTARY ARTICLES Fred D. Johnston, Towson, Md, assignor toWestern Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application December 24, 1947, Serial No. 793,706

Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles,and more particularly to apparatus for cleaning central conductors ofcoaxial cable units.

In the manufacture of one type of coaxial cable unit, a plurality ofdiscs of insulating material are positioned upon a central conductor anda tubular conductor is formed over the discs. Each :of the insulatingdiscs has a radial slot formed therein through which the centralconductor is forced. When the surface of the central conductor is notclean, a minute film of dirt, metallic dust, or the like is formed uponthe edges of the slots in the insulating disc, which comprises a path oflow resistance between the central conductor and the outer tubularconductor.

A second source of trouble in such cable units is the presence ofslivers on the surface of the central conductors resulting from the wiredrawing operation employed to make them. Such slivers may extend fromthe central conductor toward the outer tubular conductor to form a pathor bridge of low resistance. Hence, it is essential that the centralconductors of coaxial cable units be thoroughly cleaned to remove anydirt, grease, grit, splinters, etc., that might cause trouble.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus forcleaning filamentary articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improvedapparatus for cleaning loose particles from the surfaces of centralconductors of coaxial cable units.

An apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention includes atube, means for advancing a filamentary article through the tube in apredetermined direction, and means for directing superheated steam upona filamentary article advanced through the tube by the articleadvancingmeans.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from thefollowing detailed description of an apparatus illustrating certainalong line 3-3 of Fig. 2, with portions of the apparatus broken away,and h 2 Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 4-4 ofFig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein a wiredrawing machine I!) (Fig.

1) through which a central conductor 12 is advanced by a takeup capstanl4 and the conductor is taken up on a takeup reel It. The capstan l4advances the conductor 12 from the wire drawing machine It through awiper 20, which removes any loose particles on the surfaces of theconductor l2 therefrom.

The wiper 2!] includes a tube 22 (Fig. 4) through which the centralconductor is advanced from left to right, as viewed in Fig. 4. The tube22 is provided with a series of steam introducing passages 24-24, 26-26,28-28, and 30-33. There are four passages 24-24, each from the other andtwo of the passages 24-24 are in a vertical plane and twoare in ahorizontal plane. There are four passages 26-26, each spaced 90 from theother, and the passages 26-26 are rotated 22 around the tube 22 from thepassages 24-24. Similarly there are four passages 28-28, which arerotated 22 further than the passages 28-26 and are spaced 90 from eachis directed toward the center line of the tube 22' toward the left, asviewed in Fig. 4, at an angle of 45 with respect to the center line ofthe tube.

A bellmouth entrance guide 32 is positioned at the left end of the tube22, as viewed in Fig. 4.

. The left end of the tube 22 is designed to be threaded into a socket33 formed in the guide 32 so that the tube 22 may be easily removed toclean debris out of it. A collar 34 is fixed to the tube near the rightend thereof. The guide 32 and packing washers 35-35 close the ends of anannular chamber 36 formed by the tube 22 and a larger tube 38 positionedthereover. A plug 39 is designed to be screwed into a tapped port-ion 4|of the tube 38 to compress the packing washers. A pipe 4!] introducessteam at a temperature around 800 F. into the chamber 36 through anopening 42 formed into the tube 38. The steam flows through th chamber36 and through the passages 24-24, 26-26, 28-28 and 36-36 at highvelocity. These passages direct the steam upon the periphery of theconductor l2 in a direction opposite to that in which the conductor isadvanced and the hot steam dislodges loose particles on the surface ofthe central conductor therefrom. The steam in the chamber 36: is

maintained at its high temperature by superheated steam introduced intoa chamber 44 formed by the tube 38, a tube 46 and annular end plates 48and 50. Exhaust steam flows from the chamber 44 through a drain pipe 52positioned at the bottom of the chamber 44 and steam is introduced intothe chamber 44 by a pipe 54 connected to a source of superheated steam.

The tube 22 has a small diameter so that the steam maintains a highvelocity throughout its travel in the tube 22. The superheated steamtravellin at high Velocity in the tube 22 carries particles dislodgedthereby from the conductor l2 into an expansion chamber 60. Thedislodged particles carried by the steam into the expansion chamber 60are dropped into the bottom of the expansion chamber as the steamexpands therein and its velocity decreases. The steam flows from thechamber 66 into a vertical pipe 62 (Fig. 3) and is condensed by coldwater sprayed radially by nozzles l6 and i2 in T-couplings 66 and 68,respectively. Slots 'H'll and 'l3'|3 in the nozzles 16 and 72,respectively, direct the Water rad ally in sheet-like streams. The coldwater and the condensed steam carried therewith flow downwardly throughthe pipe 62, the lower end of which is connected to an exhaust pipe 14(Fig. 1) by a T-coupling 16, to which the exhaust pipe 52 is connected.A baffle l8 (Figs. 2 and 3) serves to deflect the condensing water awayfrom the expansion chamber as it fiows downwardly through the pipe 62.This water also condenses any steam which may pass through the pipe 52from the chamber 44 (Fig. 4)

Operation In the operation of the apparatus described hereinabove, theconductor l2 (Fig. 1) is advanced from the wire drawing machine It! intothe tube 22 (Fig. 4). superheated steam introduced into the chamber 36flows through the passages 24-24, 26-26, 2828 and 30-30 to impinge uponall portions of the periphery of the conductor l2, and this superheatedsteam dislodges and carries away any loose particles on the surface ofthe conductor l2, and flashes off any moisture, grease, wax, or othercontaminating substances on the conductor. The steam moves the dislodgedparticles, vaporized moisture and other debris at a high velocity intothe expansion chamber 60, in which the velocity thereof slows, and theparticles carried by the steam moving at a high velocity are droppedinto the bottom of the chamber 60.

The steam in the chamber 44 heats the chamber 36 to prevent cooling ofthe steam in the chamber 36 so that there is no danger of drops intemperature thereof. The steam flows from the expansion chamber 68 intothe pipe 62 and flows upwardly in pipe 62 as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3.The cold water introduced into the T- couplings 66 and E8 insubstantially annular sheets condenses the steam and carries it to thedrain pipe M.

The cleaner 26 described hereinabove serves to thoroughly clean and drythe conductor [2, and removes any grease, splinters, dislodgedparticles, or the like, therefrom. This cleaner is simple andinexpensive in construction and operation, and is highly efiicacious incleaning filamentary articles of any cross-sectional shape.

What is claimed is: I. An apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles,which comprises a tube through which a filamentary article is advancedin a predetermined direction, said tube being provided with series ofgroups of passages therein directed toward the filamentary article andin a direction opposite to that in which the article is advancedtherethrough, means for enclosing the exterior of the tube to form amanifold therewith, means for introducing super-heated steam into themanifold formed by the tube and the tube-enclosing means, means forenclosing the tubeenclosing means to form therewith a second chamber,and means for introducing super-heated steam into the second chamber toheat the firstmentoned chamber.

2. An apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles, which comprises atube through which a filamentary article is cleaned in advance in apredetermined direction, said tube being provided with series of groupsof openings therein directed toward the filamentary article in adirection opposite to that in which the article is advancedtherethrough, means for enclosin the exterior of the tube to form achamber therearound, means for mounting the tube detachably in thetube-enclosing means, means for sealing the tube in the tube-enclosingmeans, means for introducing super-heated steam into the chamber formedby the tube and the tube-enclosing means, means for enclosing thetube-enclosing means to form therewith a second chamber, and means forintroducing super-heated steam into the second chamber to heat thefirst-mentioned chamber.

3. An apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles, which comprises achamber having aligned bores in the end walls thereof, one of said boresbeing tapped, a nozzle tube having a threaded end designed to be screwedinto the tapped bore and also being provided with a plurality ofjetforming openings extending through the wall thereof, said tube beingdesigned to be mounted concentrically in the chamber with the threadedend thereof screwed into the tapped bore and the other end thereofprojecting through the other bore, a stuffing box for sealing the spacebetween the projecting end of the tube and the last-mentioned boreagainst passage of steam from the chamber therethrough, and means forsupplyin steam to the chamber.

4. An apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles, which comprises atubular chamber haw ing one end open and a tapped bore extending throughthe other end thereof, a nozzle tube having a threaded end designed tobe screwed into the tapped bore and also being provided with a pluralityof jet-forming passages extending through the wall thereof, said tubebeing designed to be mounted concentrically in the chamber with thethreaded end thereof screwed into the tapped bore and the other endthereof projecting through the other bore, a collar fixed to theexterior of the tube at a point thereon in the chamber and near to butspaced from the open end of. the chamber, an annular packing, means forforcing the packing against the ring to press the packing against thetube and the chamber, and means for supplying steam to the chamber.

5. An apparatus for cleaning filamentary articles, which comprises ahorizontal tube, means for advancing a filamentary article through atube in a predetermined direction from the entrance end of the tube tothe exit end thereof, means for forcing steam through the tube at a highvelocity in a direction opposite to that in which a filamentary articleis advanced by the article-advancing means, an expansion chamber 5 6positioned at the entrance end of the tube for UNITED STATES PATENTScollecting material dislodged from the filamentary article by the steam,a vertical tube communicatgg g f i g M 81896 ing with the expansionchamber and offset from 1 51, Minion 1926 the first-mentioned tube andthe expansion 1: i 1930 chamber for receiving steam passing from the 5 51941 expansion chamber, said vertical tube being open 2304474 PO E 81942 at the upper end thereof, and means for spray- 2364752 H 1944 ingwater into the upper portion of the vertical y tube so that steamentering the tube from the 10 FOREIGN PATENTS expansion chamber iscondensed. Number Country Date FRED JOHNSTON- 14,25 6 Great Britain 19031 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 1 fileof this patent:

